Owen Matthews

Owen Matthews, an expert on Russian history and author of "Glorious Misadventures," dives into the remarkable yet largely untold story of Russia's imperial ambitions in America. He discusses Vitus Bering’s initial voyages that led to the colonization of Alaska and beyond, exploring intriguing figures like Nikolai Rezanov. Matthews also highlights the fur trade's economic pull, the moral dilemmas of colonialism, and the eventual failure of Russian attempts to maintain territories in North America, intertwining it with the bittersweet timing of the gold rush.